Angels family gets bigger

I talked with UCLA pitcher Brandon Lodge, the Angels' 47th round draft pick, about just how cool it is to become part of the Angels family.

The last time I talked to him was in San Francisco in 2002. He was attending the World Series games, wearing his Angels gear in that hostile environment. He was barely a teenager then.

Now he's an Angel.

He got the news Wednesday while he was standing in the middle, literally, of a television studio. His Dad, Roger Lodge, who is the host of The Sports Lodge morning radio show on AM 830, was in the midst of shooting his new reality television show "Celebridate."

Brandon was serving as a stand-in for his Dad so the crew could position the cameras and the lights.

That's when his phone rang.

"The Angels are calling," he said to the crew.

He had to walk off the set. When he told his Dad the news, Roger announced it proudly to the production team. "My son just got drafted by the Angels."

Brandon, a former pitcher/shortstop at Tesoro High School, has more ties to the Angels than most draft picks.

His stepfather is Bobby Grich, the former all-star second baseman who is in the Angels Hall of Fame. Grich and Brandon's Mom Zetta were beaming when I saw them Wednesday night.

Brandon is going to start his pro career in Tempe. And everyone in the family is happy that it's just a six-hour drive to watch him play.

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